Spring.



F. 1. MILLEAM SPRING.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 20, I915.

Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

IN VEN TOR. 7m

ATTORNEYS WITNESSES: I

fl/d W erm ne mama enrich,

FRANCIS J, MILLEA, 0F SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPRING.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANoIsJ. MILLEA,

' a citizen of the United States of America,

residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetta'have invented a new and useful Spring, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in prings designed for use in the upholstery art', and many other arts as well, and resides in a spiral spring consisting of a plurality of acute-angle coils each of which embodies three angles or bends, and the relative arrangements of which bends are such that any given bend is out of line with vertically or in offset relation to any adjacent bend on either the horizontal plane above or such plane below said given bend, all as hereinafter more fully set forth.

The objects of my invention are, first, to produce a spiral spring which possesses longitu'dinalexpanding and contracting qualities or capabilities in the usual and required degrees, is compressible into acompact space in the direction of its axis, has a large amount of torsional flexibility or resiliency, and is exceedingly sensitive to "lengthwise pressure applied at peripheral g means lied to the spring, whether of wire, fabric, or other material, can not be caught between contiguous portions of the spring, when'the latter is compressed, and

cut or worn by the action of such portions thereon. This spring is exceedingly mobile and has a great range or variety of direction of mobility, but these characteristics or capabilities are not gained at the expense of strength, or of the power needed to recover and remain normal when released and left free, or of any other desirable quality. The spring, as hereinbefore intimated, 1S particularlywell adapted for.;use lI1 the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1916. Application filed January 20, 1915. Serial No. 3,352. i

manufacture of beds, chairs, and other upbolstered articles, but is by no means limited to such use, being equally useful in a trated in the accompanying drawings, in

Figure 1 is a top plan or end elevation of aspring that embodies a practical form of my invention; Fig. 2, a similar view showing another practical form of said invention, and, Fig. 8, aside elevation of the spring shown in the first view.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The construction and arrangement of the configuration appears in plan, while the construction andarrangement of the acuteangle coils 1n the sprmg represented in Fig.

Q'are such that an eight-pointed configuration appears in plan. These are only two of a number of possible configuratlons to which the spring is susceptible, some regular andsome irregularas to alternate adjacent bends, and I do not, therefore, intend tobe limited to any particular configuration or number of points or bends therein, neither do I intend to be confined to the shape or size of the spring and its parts or members, beyond the limits herein defined and set or fixed by my claims.

The spring in each case illustrated, and in every other case as well, consists of a plurality of acute-angled convolutions or coils, each being bent three times, at an acuteangle each time, to form three bends 1. The bends 1 are connected by reaches 2, and the parts and members are so arranged that said bends are in offset relationship, so that any one of them projects beyond one of said reaches between two bends and located either above or below, or from between two of such reaches, and is never directly over or under another bend without an intervening reach.. The spring is formed from a,

single wire, and the terminals of such wire may be carried inwardly to central points, or otherwise disposed, to serve as fastening or attaching members, such members being here represented at 33.

It will now be seen that, when the spring is compressed, the bends 1 never come into contact with each other, consequently any fastening medium that may be attached to the bends at the ends of the spring never becomes abraded, any more than do any fastening means that may be attached to the terminal members 3. It will be seen, furthermore, that, inasmuch as the coils only touch each other at the points where the reaches 2 cross each other, when the spring is compressed tightly or fully, instead of touching at all points as in a common spring, the compression capacity is greater.

In an ordinary spring the torsional flexibility is uniformly distributed, or rather is distributed throughout the entire spring, so

h aid pri g y elds r expand o c tracts, as the case may be, at all points, while n my spring con r ct on e pan i mainly takes place at the bends 1 only,

- which fact is responsible for the increased torsional flexibility of the latter spring.

'lhe enhanced lateral flexibility lengthwise of the new spring, or, in other words, the

enhallCed rockingaction thereof or its great 7 capacity to yield or close in any line of di-.

rection which is parallel with the spring axis and at h same time to Open up or ex: pand on the opposite side, is, of; course, due to the overhanging bends l and the intereni g eaches 2-.

The'reaches, or those portions of the same hat a be ee h bend a app x mately str gh eve n b w a s w in Fig 2, the shape of said reaches and of said bends as well, within certain limits, not being essential so far as the present inven tion is concerned, as hereinbefor intimated,

In this construction at least three fasten ing or attaching points are aiforded at each end, besides the member 8 if present, by the three bends 1 at such end, and every bend l the p g an be u i d to h v ry best advantage for a point of attachment wherever or whenever necessary or desirable,

n e he b ds are so l d p d. fo his This spring is very lively in endwise ex- Pe sion a o pr as we l a in its movem nt n oth r i ns, a a

though the coil displacement under endwise expansion or contraction is not so uniformly distributed throughout the entire device in the new type of spring as in the old type, the requisite strength and power of recovery are present in the new as well as in the old.

There is, of course, more torsional action of he wire vthe heads 1 than t e. wire be simple matter simultaneously to stretch or compress the spring longitudinally and rock it in any direction, or simultaneously to stretch or compress and twist in either di; rection, or simultaneously to rock and twist, or simultaneously to do all three of these things with the spring, This is one of the valuable and important features of the invention.

The sp ing, h inte ed for an ext nn er expa p ng ngth se n he direction of its axis, may be made so that the coils are normally close together or sed, as is th ease frequen y with ether springs, The spring shown in Fig, 3 isd pt c or n t e g i expansion and contraction both. I

The te c e-ang m teg lar and acute-angled as herein employed in: dieate the relationship that exists between directly connected reaches of the coils, res gardless of the configuration of the apexes which unite such reaches, that is, the bends whi e ly e rve q a g ea er. less degree,

Sp a sp ing e th n a yre very liable, when subjected to hard usage or ve t ppe o dietertien of suc a tur that their coils become tangled in'such a a r as o p ev nt P -P expans n er recovery, with the result that the springs are a y imr e f o en re Pres-=4 tically useless. Entanglement of the coils of my spring is not possible, so long as the spring retains any semblance of itself, and herein is found an additional advantage of; nay-construction that is important and valua le. 7

W at I cl m as y i e o nd de ir to secure by Letters Patent,

1, As an improved article of manufacture, a spiral spring consisting of a plurality of acute-angled eonvolutions arranged with their bends in ofl'set relationship;

2. As an improved article of; manufacture,- a spiral spring cons st ng of. a plurality of coils each of which has three bends therein, the arrangement being such that each bend is out of line with an adjace t bend either above or below the same.

As antir nr-evedartie e o manniaetere i a spiral spring the coils of which consist of reaches arranged in acute-angular relationsnbstantially straight connected reaches arship, and of bends arranged to project beranged in acute-angular relation to each yond said reaches.

other, and with adjacent apexes, lengthwise FRANCIS J. MILLEA. of the spring, out of line with each other. Witnesses:

4. As an improved article of manufacture, F. A. CUTTER, a spiral spring the coils of Which consist of A. C. FAIRBANKS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. 0. 

